Dragon Quest IX overview

Dragon Quest IX synopsis

It was one of the most surprising headlines in gaming when Square Enix announced that the next major installment of the super-popular (at least in Japan) Dragon Quest series would be on Nintendo's handheld DS instead of on a major home console. However, further thought on the matter can reveal this to be a logical decision. After all, Dragon Quest is always released on Japan's most popular platform...

Square Enix delays Dragon Quest IX; quality issues citedSquare Enix announced today that the release of the anticipated Dragon Quest IX would be shifted to 2008 in Japan from a previous listing of late 2007. The reason? Apparently, quality improvements are the cause of Level 5's development delay. While this news is no doubt unfortunate for fans of the series, it also means that Square Enix is willing to sacrifice time for a quality product. If such a behavior pays off in sales and eventually becomes policy, it could mean a new vitality amidst some lately-mediocre titles.

E3 2007 - Square Enix blames stagnation on gamersDragon Quest IX, as you may or may not know, began as an Action RPG. After twenty years of traditional (classic?) grinding, Square Enix was ready to follow the rest of the RPG genre in moving away from traditional combat systems into new, innovative avenues. What happened? You did, apparently. As a Square Enix spokesperson said at E3, "People didn't want the change. When you've sold over 40 million copies, you've got to listen to your fans." Apparently the same syndrome that affects children when they purchase movie-based games and perpetuate the creation of terrible licensed titles has also infected the RPG market. Can there be any hope for change, especially within a flagship series such as Dragon Quest? Kotaku